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The application of mass spectrometric techniques to the real‐time measurement and characterization of aerosols represents a significant advance in the field of atmospheric science. This review focuses on the aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS), an instrument designed and developed at Aerodyne Research, Inc. (ARI) that is the most widely used thermal vaporization AMS. The AMS uses aerodynamic lens inlet technology together with thermal vaporization and electron‐impact mass spectrometry to measure the real‐time non‐refractory (NR) chemical speciation and mass loading as a function of particle size of fine aerosol particles with aerodynamic diameters between ∼50 and 1,000 nm. The original AMS utilizes a quadrupole mass spectrometer (Q) with electron impact (EI) ionization and produces ensemble average data of particle properties. Later versions employ time‐of‐flight (ToF) mass spectrometers and …